In many fast food restaurants there is a wall that separates the area of cooking from the front where the customers are. This wall which separates the areas usually has an opening which includes a pass-through shelf. The opening varies in width but generally is on the order of 5' wide.
On the back side of the wall, in the kitchen area where the food is prepared, there is generally a bin or food warming area and once the food is prepared it will be put down into this bin and held there until it is put onto a plate which then is passed through to the front. This pass-through is elevated above the food preparation area and usually about 48" from the floor. The food warming bin is usually at counter height of approximately 36". Thus the food is normally prepared out of sight of the customer then put on a plate and lifted up to put on the shelf that is at the bottom of the pass-through. Then a server receives the plate on the customer side of the pass-through. Otherwise, the same person that put the plate on the pass-through would have to walk all the way around the wall to remove it from the shelf and bag it or prepare it for putting onto trays to serve to a customer. This normal procedure requires an additional person to operate the restaurant during slack time. During busy times there is sufficient clientele that all the workers are busy. If the restaurant has a high volume all of the time, no extra help is required. However, the customers are not present in the same high volume all day long such as occurs during lunch and dinner. In the afternoon periods and late in the evening, business may be quite slow and an extra person is still required just to keep the flow of the product moving. This invention is a recognition of that problem and a solution to it. Because of the heavy competition between fast food restaurants and their need to substantially cut cost, this extra labor is a substantial added operational expense.